In fact, of the 12,000 sites surveyed for the fourth Local Environment Quality Survey of England (LEQSE), over three quarters were strewn with cigarette butts, while drinks litter had risen by 65 per cent and fast food litter by 450 per cent since 2001.
So it's not surprising then that council taxpayers in the North East alone are paying out almost £70 million each year to clean up litter.
And while the region had got to grips with fly-tipping, flyposting, leaves, weeds and graffiti – too much litter, poorly maintained pavements and staining around bus stops was slowing progress down.
The study – carried out by Keep Britain Tidy thanks to funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) – is designed to show people how clean, or messy, their local environment is.
Information on everything from litter and graffiti to fly-posting and the condition of the bins is collected from across the nation.
Steve Graham, Regional Director of Keep Britain Tidy said: "Back in 2001, even good citizens admitted to dropping rubbish, while problems such as graffiti and dog fouling were causing real concern to residents. Thankfully, campaigns and education messages have changed all that and we are seeing small improvements in our local environment.
"However, there remains a hardcore group that are utterly determined to raise two fingers to the rest of us.
"Fines and sanctions are clearly the only language these people understand - and if they refuse to ditch their dirty habits, that's exactly what they are going to get."
Indeed, new measures under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, which came in to force back in June, have helped to close the loop on existing litter laws.
Minister for Local Environment Quality, Ben Bradshaw, explained: "The new Act has given local authorities stronger powers to tackle environmental crime, and will help everyone take more pride in the environment in which they live.
"Lazy litterbugs who drop their rubbish anywhere and everywhere can now expect fines of at least £50 – and that now includes chewing gum and cigarette butts too.
"This year's survey shows that we are bringing issues like dog fouling and graffiti under control. I hope local authorities will therefore use their new powers so we can see similar improvements in other areas – like smoking-related rubbish – in next year's survey."
The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act has been warmly received by many councils, some of whom have promised to name and shame offenders in a bid to clear up litter once and for all.
Continued Steve Graham: "Some councils in our region have taken a long hard look at themselves and are planning and cleaning up more efficiently. Now we need to stop the streets from becoming a mess in the first place and unless we bring to book the minority who show a blatant disregard for the local environment, we will never enjoy clean, safe and pleasant open spaces.
"By the time we release our next survey I hope and believe that this picture will have changed."
Given the thumbs up in the North East
- Bins were being emptied regularly
- Graffiti, flyposting and fly-tipping were under control
- Weeds and leaves were being cleared
- Litter around bus stops was not a problem
Not up to scratch
- Litter on the streets
- The condition of pavements
- Staining around bus stops
- Litter bins were filthy and in unsatisfactory condition
- The streets were too cluttered to clean
A Fine Mess
Before November 2002, councils had to return any money raised from fines to the Treasury. They can now keep this, giving them the financial wherewithal to employ litter wardens on the streets.
Chewing gum and cigarette butts are now defined as litter under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act
Councils spend £415 million per year cleaning the streets of England.
